K. M. Peyton facts for kids

Kathleen Wendy Herald Peyton MBE (2 August 1929 – 19 December 2023), who wrote primarily as K. M. Peyton, was a British author of fiction for children and young adults.

Peyton wrote more than fifty novels including the much loved Flambards series of stories about the Russell family which spanned the period before and after the First World War, for which she won both the 1969 Carnegie Medal from the Library Association and the 1970 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, judged by a panel of British children's writers. In 1979, the Flambards trilogy was adapted by Yorkshire Television as a 13-part TV series, Flambards, starring Christine McKenna as the heroine Christina Parsons.

Personal life and education

Kathleen Wendy Herald Peyton was born on 2 August 1929 in Birmingham, England. She began writing when she was nine and was first published when she was fifteen. She has stated she "never decided to become a writer ... [she] just was one." Growing up in London where she could not have a horse, she was obsessed with them: all her early books are about girls who have ponies.

Later, she attended Kingston Art School, and then Manchester Art School. There she met another student, Mike Peyton, an ex-serviceman who had been a military artist and prisoner of war. He shared her love of walking in the Pennines. They married in 1950 and travelled around Europe. When they returned to Britain, Peyton completed a teaching diploma. Ultimately, Peyton had two daughters: Hilary and Veronica.

Peyton died on 19 December 2023, at the age of 94.

Career

Peyton's personal interests often guided her writing. Her earliest writing was inspired by her love of horses.

Later, Peyton wrote mostly boys' adventure stories that she sold as serials to The Scout, magazine of The Scout Association, and later published in full. She began writing as 'K. M. Peyton' at this time; 'M' represented her husband Mike who helped create the plots.

Further, because the Peytons enjoyed sailing, many of her books covered the subject for a while, though she eventually returned to her first subject of interest: horses. This writing became the Flambards series. When Peyton became involved with horse racing, she used those experiences as further inspiration for writing. Flambards was published in Italian, German, Finnish, and Swedish-language editions during the 1970s. WorldCat lists eight other languages of publication for her works in all.

Writers who cite K M Peyton as an influence include Linda Newbery, whose young adult novel The Damage Done (2001, Scholastic) is dedicated "to Kathleen Peyton, who made me want to try."

Awards

Peyton won the Guardian Prize for the Flambards trilogy, and won the Carnegie Medal for its second book. She was also a commended runner-up for the Carnegie Medal six times in eight years during the 1960s: one of the books was the first Flambards book, another was the third Flambards book in competition with the Medal-winning second; the others were Windfall (1962), The Maplin Bird (1964), The Plan for Birdmarsh (1965), and Thunder in the Sky (1966).

Peyton was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to children's literature.

Adaptations

The Flambards trilogy was adapted by Yorkshire Television in 1978 as a TV series comprising 13 episodes broadcast 1979 in the UK, 1980 in the US: Flambards, starring Christine McKenna as the heroine Christina Parsons.

The Right-Hand Man (1977), a historical novel featuring an English stagecoach driver, was adapted as a feature film shot in Australia in 1985 and released there in 1987.

Who, Sir? Me, Sir? (1985) was adapted as a BBC TV series.

Works

The bibliography of Peyton's "pony books only" by Jane Badger Books includes all nineteen series books and many "other books" (‡) listed here.

Flambards

• Flambards (Oxford, 1967), illustrated by Victor Ambrus
• The Edge of the Cloud (Oxford, 1969), ill. Ambrus
• Flambards in Summer (Oxford, 1969), ill. Ambrus
• Flambards Divided (1981)

Peyton's extension of the trilogy followed its television adaptation and reversed the original ending.

Ruth Hollis

• Fly-by-Night (1968), self-illustrated
• The Team (1975), self-ill.

Pennington

The Pennington series continues the story of Ruth Hollis.

• Pennington's Seventeenth Summer (1970), later as Pennington's Last Term, self-ill.
• The Beethoven Medal (1971), a.k.a. If I Ever Marry, self-ill.
• Pennington's Heir (1973), self-ill.

Jonathan Meredith

• Prove Yourself a Hero (1977)
• A Midsummer Night's Death (1978)
• The Last Ditch (1984), also published as Free Rein

See also the Ruth Hollis series: Jonathan Meredith is a minor character in The Team.

Swallow

• The Swallow Tale (1995)
• Swallow Summer (1996)
• Swallow the Star (1997)

Minna

Set in Roman Britain.

• Minna's Quest (2007)
• No Turning Back (2008)
• Far From Home (2009)

Other books

• Grey Star, the Story of a Racehorse — at age nine, unpublished §
• Sabre: The Horse from the Sea (A & C Black, 1948) ‡, as Kathleen Herald, illus. Lionel Edwards
• The Mandrake: A Pony (Black, 1949) ‡, as Kathleen Herald, ill. Edwards
• Crab the Roan (Black, 1953) ‡, as Kathleen Herald, ill. Peter Biegel

§ By age fifteen, Kathleen Herald had written "about ten more" novels that publishers rejected with "very nice letters".

‡ Jane Badger Books lists these titles among Peyton's "pony books only" – as well as all nineteen series books listed above.